Ya gotta keep 'em separated

So here's me strolling in to the LCBO and poking around in the Ontario section, looking for a few bottles to bring to Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. I don't know if you've seen them, but the "Cellared in Canada" signs are now lettered in white on a bright red background. Kinda hard to miss, so I'll give them props for that.

Then I see a "VQA" sign done up in the same white-on-red motif. Over a shelf that *maybe* has a dozen bottles of true VQA, but is mostly stocked with Maria Christina wine-in-a-box and other similar CIC aberrations. WTF???? Is it so hard for LCBO staff to keep the two apart? And I'm not making mountains out of molehills, here. This wasn't just a case of the VQA and CIC sections being side-by-side, no, we're talking completely non-VQA, international blends taking up precious real estate under the VQA banner.

No wonder the public is so confused.

On the bright side of things, MP Kim Craitor sent an open letter to Ted McKeen, Ontario Minister for Consumer Services, calling for changes to government policy regarding the province's wine industry. The letter addresses everything from the CIC issue to the over 9,000 tonnes of local fruit that will likely remain unsold at the end of this harvest. Way to go, Craitor.

And in response to public outcry, Hillary Dawson, president of the Wine Council of Ontario, has been inviting members of the industry and the media to join the Council's Industry Working Group on Label Clarity. (Mind you, I *still* haven't received MY invite.)

Help a grapegrower this weekend - Buy Local!

The fight against the LCBO's practice of selling "Cellared in Canada" wines continues. Over the course of the long weekend, consumers are being urged to only buy wines that carry the VQA symbol, ensuring that local grapegrowers and winemakers get the support they deserve. Better yet, if you're anywhere near wine country over the weekend, stop by and pick up a few bottles directly from the makers themselves. Support your local growers and say NO to Cellared in Canada!

VQA standards at the Olympics - FINALLY

So Vincor and the Olympic committee have finally seen the light, and will be producing 100% VQA wines for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. (Read the full article by Monique Beech on the St Catherines Standard site.)

As I mentioned in my previous entry on the subject, I just don't get what's so difficult about producing 100% VQA wines. At the end of some past harvests, grapes were left to rot because there weren't any buyers. Now Vincor's saying there aren't enough grapes? Try picking something other than Shiraz or Sauvignon Blanc. What about baco noir or marechal foch? These two red hybrids would be a perfect showpiece on the international stage, with their reputation for being true "Canadian varietals": early-ripening and cold-hardy, tough enough to get through our long, cold winters.

With the Okanagan right next door, Vancouver would be remiss not to highlight Canada's stellar wine industry while the world is watching the Olympics. So I'm glad to see Vincor is changing its collective tune.

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Speaking of Canadian wines, I had a few noteworthy glasses recently:

Lotusland Girlsrmeaner (Abbotsford, BC): If I was picking wines based solely on names, I'd have at least a case worth of this stuff in my cellar. Love their word play on "gewurztraminer", love the fragrant, luscious wine even more. Organic, with lots of rich fruit, light-to-medium bodied, sweet but not overwhelmingly so.

Canoe Cove Shiraz (Langley, BC): I don't think I've ever tried a Canadian Shiraz. I keep forgetting there's this part of British Columbia that is practically desert, perfect growing condition for such heat-loving varietals. This one could stand up easily with its Aussie cousins: arresting, fruit-forward presence, balanced tannins and exquisitely long, plush finish. Serve that one up with some big meats: steak, venison, bison burgers ... yum.

Strewn 2007 Riesling-Gewurztraminer (Niagara): This is one of the "essentials" chez nous. Lovely floral and melon on the nose, sweet tropical fruit flavours, refreshing acidity, medium-bodied with a finish that is clean and smooth. We had it last night with Korean BBQ'd pork tenderloin and spicy grilled veg, and it was *perfect*. Would be great with spicy Thai anything, or a sweet-n-hot stir fry. I recommended this to a colleague who was hosting an Indian-themed dinner party last year; it was such a hit, she added it to her own list of wine essentials.

Olympic Spirit "cellared" in Canada

The St. Catherine's Standard recently opined on Esprit, the official "Canadian" wine of the Olympic Games. To summarize: Vincor is the official wine supplier of the 2010 Olympics (as it was at Beijing 2008, and as it will be at London 2012). Along with toting the Olympic logo on their VQA brands, Vincor created the Jackson-Triggs Esprit line of wines in support of Canada's Olympic athletes.

With every purchase, $1.25 will go directly into the coffers of the Canadian Olympic Team and the 2010 Games. Kudos for that. I worked with Team Canada for the Sydney Games; I know about the financial hardship faced by many athletes. So I'm all for giving them the support they need to excel.

But like the LCBO with its misleading "Cellared in Canada" category, Vincor is pulling the wool over tourists' eyes with Esprit. As much as 70 per cent of the content in the Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc are from foreign suppliers. Bulk fruit and juice from as far away as Australia, wherever Vincor's growers may reside.

I'm with Rick on this one: is it too much to ask to have all-Canadian grapes in what will become and internationally shlepped product? The eyes of the world will be on Canada next February. Why not focus on varietals that are successfully thriving in Canada? Where's the marechal foch? The pinot noir? I went on Vincor's corporate site and found a line about how the successful 2007 vintage in both the Okanagan and Niagara will mean 100% Canadian content in all future bottlings of Esprit Merlot and Chardonnay. Nice try, but this looks to me like desperate scramble to fix a major PR screw up.

So before you buy your Olympic-themed wine, check the labels. Let's support our athletes - but let's make sure to support Canadian growers, too.
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For more information on how to support Canadian athletes, please visit the Web sites of the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.

Edit: My brother came for dinner over the weekend and brought a bottle of the Esprit Merlot with him. He challenged me to try it, since I was so willing to criticize it on my blog. Realizing that it would, indeed, be highly unfair to judge a wine by its label, I tried a glass ... and ended up pouring myself another. Good nose of cassis, cedar, mint, eucalyptus and green pepper. Light body, with acids and tannins that were well balanced, although the whole package went better with food. Not thrilled with the finish, which was abrupt and under ripe, but overall, not too shabby. I still won't buy it, though, just on principle alone.

Quaff this: More birthday libations

My 32nd birthday celebrations have - after a long week of rollicking good fun - drawn to a close. The last of the festivities were held yesterday, with the fam. I offered up my house and my best dish, steak salad, to my guests, in exchange for the usual off-tempo, horribly out of tune rendition of "Happy Birthday". Oh, and the chance to slap my brother in the face with some cake. (I know I'll be paying for that later, but it was worth it.)

Mum brought a couple of stellar bottles up for the weekend, most notably a 2007 Marqués de Riscal from the Rueda region of Spain. The fragrant, perfumy blend of Verdejo and Viura grapes burst out of the glass before I could even get it close to my mouth. Light-bodied, with lots of peach and pear, delicate. But it's the aroma that really stands out and makes it an above-average sipper.

The other was a Tempranillo-Cab Sauv blend, a 2005 Bodegas Osborne Solaz. This went great with the steak; it showed off lots of fruit without being overpowering, and was grounded by a backbone of firm tannins. Medium-bodied, very versatile in terms of drinkability.

Then I got a bombshell dropped on me. Naked Grape's "Unoaked" Sauvignon Blanc. It was alright, certainly refreshing while I chopped up veggies and put out appetizers. Then I read the label, where my favourite line, "Cellared in Canada from Imported and Domestic Grapes", glared up at me. Gee whiz, Ma.

DON’T Quaff This: Pelee Island Winery 2006 Shiraz Cabernet … or, why I hate the term “Cellared in Canada”

Smells like varnish, tastes even worse. ‘Nuff said. We poured that plonk down the sink and opened a Maleta Grape Brain 2004 Cabernet Merlot (which, by the way, is quickly becoming our “house” wine, it’s that good. More to come on that later ...)

Let me vent first about the inane ridiculousness of the term “Cellared in Canada”. The LCBO has taken to putting plonk on the shelves right next to VQA (Vintners’ Quality Alliance) wines from Canada, under the aforementioned heading. It is, I assume, a clever ploy to get cheap, crappy product on the shelves, seen and potentially bought, considering it's right beside the good stuff. If it's cellared in Canada, it must be good, right?

Wrong. For the novice, this is incredibly confusing, because you THINK you’re getting a “Canadian” product. In actual fact, you’re really getting the bottom of the barrel from some place like Croatia that was rejected by everyone else, shipped 10,000 miles to Pelee Island, where it sat for a few days to get that "Canadian" flavour before getting crushed with a bunch of other garbage (both domestic and imported), poured into a bottle, slapped with a label and sent off to the liquor store. Blah.

Tonight’s atrocity was a perfect example. A shiraz cabernet has a certain set of aromas that one would expect. Last year's deck varnish is not one of them. Then I looked at the label:

Now it all makes sense. Flush this. And always make sure to read the label very, VERY carefully.

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